James Cameron’s highly anticipated sci-fi sequel, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” has emerged as the clear leader at the domestic box office during the Christmas holiday period. The film comfortably maintained its top position, surpassing newly released holiday films such as A24’s sports dramedy “Marty Supreme,” Focus Features’ emotional musical “Song Sung Blue,” and Sony’s action comedy “Anaconda.” Notably, Disney’s animated hit “Zootopia 2” returned to the No. 2 spot in its fifth weekend, demonstrating its continued popularity.
“Avatar 3” earned an impressive $64 million over the traditional three-day weekend and a total of $88 million since the Christmas holiday began on Thursday. This represents a modest 28% drop from its $89 million domestic launch, which is a significantly better retention rate compared to “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which experienced a 52% decline following its initial release. To date, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” has grossed $217.7 million in North America and an impressive $760 million worldwide after just two weekends, suggesting that it may remain a box office leader into the new year. Historically, the first two “Avatar” films enjoyed prolonged stints at the top of the box office, each surpassing the $2 billion mark.
Among new releases, “Marty Supreme” emerged as a standout, debuting in third place with $17.4 million from 2,600 locations over the weekend and generating $27.1 million during the extended four-day holiday. After a limited release, its domestic total reached $28.3 million. This marks A24’s second-highest opening weekend, trailing only behind “Civil War,” which earned $25 million. Director Josh Safdie’s film, highlighted by Timothée Chalamet’s engaging performance as a fictional ping-pong champion, has garnered positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth, which bodes well for its continued success. Despite its hefty $70 million production budget, the film’s reception indicates robust potential at the box office.
On the other hand, “Anaconda” landed at the fifth position with $14.6 million over the weekend, totaling $23.7 million since Christmas. This meta-reboot, featuring Jack Black and Paul Rudd, opened internationally with a revenue of $20 million, bringing its worldwide total to $43.7 million. Audience reactions have been mixed, reflected in the film’s 51% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a “B” on CinemaScore.
“Song Sung Blue,” directed by Craig Brewer and starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, debuted in eighth place with $7.6 million over the weekend and $12 million through the holiday frame. The movie focuses on down-and-out musicians forming a Neil Diamond tribute band and received an “A” CinemaScore, attracting primarily female audiences aged 55 and older.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” continues to perform exceptionally well, earning $20 million over the weekend and $25.2 million since Christmas. With a domestic gross of $320 million and a global total of $1.42 billion, the film stands as the highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year.
Lionsgate’s psychological thriller “The Housemaid” also performed well, securing the fourth spot with $15.4 million over the weekend, summing up to $18.9 million for the holiday period.
As 2025 draws to a close, the overall domestic box office has reached $8.76 billion, an increase of 1.5% compared to the previous year, but still lagging about 22% behind 2019 levels. The total revenue for the year is projected to finish around $8.87 billion. Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian, noted that the strong performances of “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” “Zootopia 2,” and “Marty Supreme” contributed to a robust end-of-year boost in box office figures. However, the ambitious $9 billion benchmark continues to be elusive.
The ongoing success of these films highlights the resilience of the movie industry, as audiences continue to flock to theaters for engaging storytelling and memorable performances.